Legend of the Heroes Fall
by Midna Hytwilian
Summary: The story that takes place fourty years after TP. Link is dying, what shall he do in his final hours of his bitter old self? Depressing ending, legend told by the sages.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.**

**A/N life does not go on forever even for heroes, but for some it is postponed.**

_Her orange hair, bright and flaming, threatening to engulf you, her running, and leaving him behind in the process breaking their only way together, a nightmare and a wonderful dream in itself says the sages of Hyrule. _

_This is the legend of the adventure many years after Link and Midna's grand adventure of saving the Twilight Realm and Hyrule. Many Hyrulians and Twili doubt this legend, but it is common not to believe it, for we expect a hero to live forever. _

_But we all know that even in magical realms no one lives forever. No matter how much a hero eventually they must die. So says the circle of life, the legend of this adventure can be found in The Sacred Grove in stone by the master sword._

_No one knows how it came to be. Maybe a miracle by the goddesses, maybe a traveler who some how got inside? No one shall find out, this though, is the great legend of that adventure by the name of The Heroes Fall. _

_The Legend of the Heroes Fall_

It had been forty years after Link and Midna's grand adventure, and now the hero lay in his bed feebly. Old and bitter now he was, fifty-seven going on fifty-eight and he felt weak.

"Link?" A voice called from outside his tree house in Ordon. He had lived here all his life. Instead of calling back or going to see what the towns people needed now he laid in his bed, waiting for them to stop.

He knew they wouldn't bother asking for anything, they had stopped once he turned forty-five. After about five minutes, finally the voice stopped. The hero laid still, bringing old memories back.

"Link, I wanted…to…well…we've known each other for a long time, and I was thinking we could try…would you date me?" Illia had asked a week after she and Link arrived back in Ordon. He was still heartbroken about Midna and upon hearing this stormed off to set on a mission. He'd do anything to leave Illia and so he thought it be best to return the master sword. 

That morning Illia had waved him goodbye, not that he cared. Again he was called for goat business but he had left already. Link half hoped he'd see Midna again. An imp again holding the dreaded stone up for him to see.

The hero stood up out of bed and faced the mirror. His hair was no longer silky; it was more like sand, limp, faded sand. He laughed at his appearance, "Midna would get a kick out of me."

Suddenly he began shaking and passed out. "Link, are you okay?" A sweet voice asked, it was Beth, Beth who was now forty-nine. "Fine." Link muttered as he awoke. "Link you passed out! Are you sure?" Beth asked.

"Yes I'm sure, now get out." Link ordered. "Link you need medical attention!" Beth explained. "I said get out." Link reminded her. With much coaxing finally she left. He stood up and examined himself.

"Just as I thought." He whispered as he looked at himself thoroughly. "I've grown old." He muttered. As if to prove it his ankle went out for a second in the process tripping him. "That proves it." He chuckled.

Link grabbed his sword that he still had from the beginning of his adventure and packed it. "I knew it'd happen eventually. All those months fighting bulbins and other enemies have aged me horribly." Link sighed.

He grabbed his shield and got to his feet, pulling on his boots, heroes tunic, and gloves he walked towards the door. "It's either rot here angry with life or live my last few hours in peace." Link sighed angrily.

He left quickly with his horse he had gotten two weeks ago who he had named Milina, Epona had died many years ago, ten after his adventure, she lived longer then any horse he knew and he had been proud for her.

Link arrived at Lake Hylia where he stopped. This was just the place he wanted to die. Surrounded by Zoras and water, he went towards the light spirit and lied down on the little ledge.

Suddenly a voice filled the cave. "Link I shall grant you a choice that shall change everything now, for your trouble forty years ago, you could either see Midna one last time and die twenty-four hours later or live another fifty years as a wolf." The voice spoke.

He laughed; Zelda had gone through all the trouble of putting a law down for wolf killings. She said that all wolfs caught would be brought to her to determined if they were a hero.

"In all my years I have spent I only regret one thing." Link announced "I am old now and I still feel the pain of her leaving, the only thing I regret is not running and leaving with her."

"I take that you choose Midna." The light spirit assumed. "Naturally." Link chuckled. Suddenly he broke into a thousand black squares and came down into the Twilight Realm.

He half expected to turn into an old wolf but it never happened. Instead a woman the same woman he had traveled with and finally truly met when she left, appeared in front of him.

"Midna?" The hero asked she looked older slightly, not hugely. "Link? You look older." Midna gasped as he smiled his crocked smile. "You look just as gorgeous." Link announced, unafraid of his emotions, he'd die in twenty-four hours why care if she hated him?

"Oh my Link!" Midna sobbed holding him. "For every five years in the light realm we age one year." Midna explained. "So you're what now?" Link asked. "Twenty-seven, but of course my people think I just turned twenty." Midna laughed.

"Just as devious." Link whispered. "Oh Link how did you get back?" She begged. "Light spirit, I'm dying soon and he gave me the choice of seeing you and dying in twenty-four hours or becoming a wolf for good and living another fifty years." Link explained.

"Oh Link, you shouldn't have! You big idiot!" Midna sobbed. "Why? I never got to say goodbye to you, and I never did get to hear what you were going to say." Link hinted. "How do you remember?" Midna asked shocked by his memory in his old age.

"I could never forget that." Link pointed out. "I…I still can't say it." Midna whispered. For about twenty-one hours the two caught up, each laughing at their adventure when it came to the time of his death.

"Midna?" Link asked two hours before he would die. He could hear the light spirit remind him. "Link what's wrong?" Midna asked. "I have but one wish, bury me where you will be buried." Link begged.

"Link why?" Midna asked. He didn't answer and for the next hour they talked about things Link hoped he'd encounter after death. Just minutes away from death he laid down and sighed.

"Midna, I always wanted to tell you. I love you." Link said and kissed her on the mouth. Only a minute left and he intended it to be his best. "I tried to tell you in the Mirror Chamber, I never felt that way for anyone else Link. I love you." Midna said and kissed him on the forehead.

His body went limp and his eyes stayed open, unblinking. On the wind she still heard his voice "I love you." It whispered. She began to cry, not tears of sadness, because she knew this was the way he wanted to die, with her.

She cried tears of joy for him and her "see you later." Midna whispered and walked off to tell her servants to bury him where she would be buried in another fifty-two Twili years when she would be seventy-one and die in her sleep.

_Many say that the hero had chose to be a wolf which was the smart choice to postpone death, but postponing death was not his concern, he didn't mind dying and was more curious about it. He had lived a pleasant life, defeated evil and fell in love. He had already put his life in risk for love by saving his same love from dying during his adventure._

_  
This was not something new he did. Being unselfish and foolish for being in love he would have chosen her even if it meant dying in an hour later. He didn't care about living, he cared about loving. And even today in the Twilight Realm if you stood by the gravestones of the two you could hear their voices whispering to each other "I love you, you big idiotic wolf." And "I love you, you little imp." They never changed._


End file.
